Thursday, April 1, 2010

The Power Of 5 and 15...

So recently, I discovered when I feel overwhelmed by my to-do list it helps to enlist my timer. It has become such a friend to me. I will set it to either 5 minutes or 15 minutes depending on the size of the task and tell myself I can move onto something else when the timer goes off, if I so choose. While this is not a revolutionary concept it has made a BIG difference for me.

It's amazing what you can get done in 5 minutes:
  • load the dishwasher
  • tidy up a bedroom
  • clean the bathroom sink and toilet
  • fold a load of laundry
...and in 15 minutes:
  • weed your flower beds
  • organize the toy room
  • make decent headway on an organizing project
  • vacuum the floors
  • mop the kitchen
Obviously, there are many more things that could make it on each list, but for me it's helped me to get started and stay motivated.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I have found that this works for me too!

Stacie@HobbitDoor said...

Yup--especially needing that right now! I will just do "one box" or "one shelf" and it helps me get things done. Works that way for labor too--just focus on the one contraction/push and don't think about any others. ;-p

jenny said...

I am definitely going to give this a shot. It is so easy to feel overwhelmed with getting a task done with kids underfoot....but I think the timer thing could keep me motivated. Thanks for the tip!

Brandy said...

Hey, Marisa! I need to try this. I'm sure I could get more done and feel less overwhelmed!

And yes, I am back to blogging again. Thanks for visiting. :)

H-Mama said...

Our mommy to-do list can grow overwhelming in our minds, huh? What a great perspective. I should put a timer in each room to always have one on-hand. ;)

Cute blog. You have a beautiful family.